Concordat of Benevento

1156, Sicily

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June 22, 2026

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The Concordat of Benevento, signed in 1156, was an agreement between Pope Adrian IV and King William I of Sicily. This pact officially recognized William I's authority over all territories under Norman control, resolving disputes between the papacy and the Kingdom of Sicily.1

The Kingdom of Sicily, united by the Normans in the 11th century, encompassed the southern Italian peninsula and the island of Sicily. William I, who ruled from 1154 to 1166, was known for strengthening royal authority and patronizing science and letters, showing religious tolerance towards Muslims at his court. His son, William II, known as William the Good, ruled from 1166 to 1189 and continued his father's policies of clemency and justice.213

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William I
…Pope Adrian IV in the Concordat of Benevento (1156), winning papal acknowledgment of his authority over all the territories that had come under Norman control.
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…Pope Adrian IV in the Concordat of Benevento (1156), winning papal acknowledgment of his authority over all the territories that had come under Norman control.
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Frederick I
Early years
…the Pope to sign the Concordat of Benevento in 1156 by which Adrian gave William Sicily and the Norman principalities on the mainland as far north as Naples and Capua and granted him special rights for the Sicilian church. This new treaty was in violation of the Treaty of Constance.…
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…the Pope to sign the Concordat of Benevento in 1156 by which Adrian gave William Sicily and the Norman principalities on the mainland as far north as Naples and Capua and granted him special rights for the Sicilian church. This new treaty was in violation of the Treaty of Constance.…
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Alexander III
Life
…the drawing up of the Concordat of Benevento (1156) between the papacy and King William I of Sicily. He revealed his fear of the empire still further in the following year at Besançon (1157), where he referred to the empire as a “benefice” of the papacy. The term aroused a…
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…the drawing up of the Concordat of Benevento (1156) between the papacy and King William I of Sicily. He revealed his fear of the empire still further in the following year at Besançon (1157), where he referred to the empire as a “benefice” of the papacy. The term aroused a…
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